A cool feature of our video email product is the viewer notification option. CoVideo users can be notified by email every time someone views a video email they sent from our system. This option is highly effective for timely follow ups and time-sensitive offers.
For example: a real estate agent sends a video email of a property to a client. When the client views the video email, the real estate agent immediately receives an email notification informing them who is viewing the video and which video it is. The agent can pick up a phone and call the client while the video (and the property) are still fresh in their mind.
Users can request viewer notifications when sending a video email from the desktop recorder and web-based recorder, or from the video library.
For users who forget to check the notification box when sending a video, or those who are overwhelmed with notifications from multiple recipients, we now have a solution! In the Video Library next to each video title, one of the options is Views. This has traditionally been where users can see number of views and viewer information for a video. The new Notify check boxes allow users to request notifications from some or all recipients of the video, after it has been sent. Conversely, notifications may be discontinued for a few or all recipients by unchecking the boxes.
Request viewer notifications when sending a video email from the desktop recorder or the website:
When sending a video email from the desktop recorder, click on the More Options button and check the box “Notify me when recipient views this video” at the bottom of the window. When sending a video email from the website, the notification message and check box mentioned above appear in the top right corner of the send email window.
Request/Discontinue viewer notifications from the video library (website only):
From a specific video in the video library, click on Views. Check the box next to the word Notify to receive viewer notifications for every contact receiving that video, or check the box next to an individual contact you wish to receive viewing notifications for.
To stop receiving all notifications, uncheck the box next to the word Notify. To stop receiving notifications for specific contacts simply uncheck the box next to that contact’s name.
Notification settings may be changed at any time.
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Jamie Bidwell is a team member at www.covideo.com. Covideo provides video email software that helps companies build relationships quickly and reinforce their brands more effectively with easy-to-make video emails that truly communicate. jamie@covideo.com.
Email icons are an often overlooked but extremely vital feature of video emails. The first opportunity a business has to make an impression is at the inbox, and the email icon creates the visual impact to do just that.
Recent upgrades to our system gives users more options than ever before when choosing, uploading or editing an email icon so we thought a quick video explaining the process would be helpful. The most notable change is with image uploads. Previously, our system automatically resized all uploaded images to 400 X 200 pixels. Smaller images appeared stretched once uploaded and larger images had a squeezed look. Additionally, the static size of the email icon was bemoaned by numerous users wanting more flexibility.
With the upgrade, users can now upload any size image and it will remain the same size once in our system. This eliminates the stretching and squeezing issues and gives the email icon size adaptability. Keep in mind, if a very small 50 X 50 pixel image is uploaded it will be just as small when displayed in the email, making text or design difficult to decipher. Conversely, extra large images may overflow the inbox and lose their appeal. If unsure how an image will look, send a sample video email to see how it appears in your inbox before sending it to your contact list.
For more information on managing email icons WATCH THIS VIDEO.
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Jamie Bidwell is a team member at www.covideo.com. Covideo provides video email software that helps companies build relationships quickly and reinforce their brands more effectively with easy-to-make video emails that truly communicate. jamie@covideo.com.
CoVideo templates have always included customizable links directing viewers to web pages after watching your video. While those links can be aimed at social network sites, many users prefer to dedicate links to pages more directly related to marketing their products and services. The result: a gap in their marketing efforts.
Social media marketing has exploded in the past two years and connecting contacts to your social network is now standard practice wherever possible. With that in mind, we created Social Links. Each Social Link appears as an icon just to the right of the video email template on the viewer’s screen. Users can add up to 12 Social Links to every video email they send (in addition to the 7 links on the template itself), attaining higher levels of interaction and longer periods of viewer engagement. A single video email can become a marketing and brand building adventure that sweeps the viewer along for the ride!
It only takes a couple of minutes to set up Social Links.
Watch This Video to see how it’s done and fill in that marketing gap on your next video email!
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Jamie Bidwell is a team member at www.covideo.com. Covideo provides video email software that helps companies build relationships quickly and reinforce their brands more effectively with easy-to-make video emails that truly communicate. jamie@covideo.com.
Do you regularly send video emails to the same group of contacts? Would you like an easy way to select those contacts when sending a video email? We can help! It only takes a few moments to import a list of contacts and place them into a group. You’ll see how easy it is when you watch our demonstration video!
Until recently, there were only two options when setting up template links.
1. Create custom links for specific templates.
2. Create default links that display on all templates.
Now, links are separate from templates. Users can create unlimited numbers of link sets within their account. When they send a video email they can select any template and any link set to accompany the video. For those who rarely change links, a particular link set may be chosen as the default.
Once you send a video email, the links selected will stay with the video and template, even if you select a different link set the next time either the video or template are used. It’s designed to simplify the link process and provide a more user friendly environment within the system.
The directions below are for the NEW BACK OFFICE.
Create a Link Set: Video Instructions
- Login to your CoVideo account at www.covideo.com
- On the menu bar, select Graphics followed by Links.
- Click on Add/Edit Link Sets.
- To add a link set click on the Add button or select a link set to Edit from the dropdown menu.
- For the link text, type in the title or text you would like displayed on the link.
- For the link target, type in the actual URL to that link (or go directly to the webpage, copy the URL and paste it into the link target box).
- You also have an option to open the link in a new window (or browser). This ensures your video email will remain open along with the link they clicked on.
- Once you have entered all of the desired links, click on Save or Save as Default (if you wish to make those links your default links).
Set up Custom Link Sets for specific templates: Custom Link Sets Video
- Login to your CoVideo account at www.covideo.com
- Go to Graphics on the menu bar, click on Links, then click on Custom Links.
- On the next page, select the template you are assigning the links to, then select the desired link set and click on Save.
- The confirmation “Successfully updated your template links” will appear, along with the newly selected links.
- Please note that you can always choose a different link set to go out with any template when sending a video email.
Manage your Link Sets: Edit/Delete Link Sets Video Default Link Set Video
- Login to your CoVideo account at www.covideo.com
- On the menu bar, select Graphics, click on Links, then click on Add/Edit Link Sets. Select a link set to edit from the dropdown menu. Make the necessary changes then click on Save, or Save as Default (if you wish to make that link set your default. Please note: changing a link set that you have previously sent in a video email, will change it for that video email. If this is not desired, we recommend creating a brand new link set. We do not limit how many link sets you can have in your account.
- To delete a link set, select the link set you wish to delete from the dropdown menu and click on Delete. Reminder: deleting a link set deletes it from all previously sent video emails. If this is not desired, we recommend creating a brand new link set. There is no limit to the number of link sets created within an account.
After the initial establishment of a video email account most users are too busy doing business to think about account settings and other administrative options. But while they’re diligently sending video messages, their company mailing or email address may have changed. Their terms of service or privacy policy may have been updated. Even company branding or employee changes may have occurred. If video email account information doesn’t reflect those changes, viewers may have difficulty contacting or doing business with that company. To avoid such a scenario, develop a habit of regular account management. Just 10 minutes, once a month, will keep vital information updated…and customers calling. Below are instructions on how to access and edit various account settings and features. It’s the easiest workout you’ll ever do!
Check Your Speed
Login to your account.
Click on Help followed by Check Speed.
Click on Begin Test. The system will run the test and display your upload and download speeds.
For Video Email we recommend at least 300 kbps for upload and 1000 kbps for download.
For Live Conference/Live Presentation we require minimum upload and download speeds of 750 kbps. We also suggest 200 kbps per feed (presenter) if more than 4 presenters are onscreen.
(Example: 6 presenters x 200 kbps = 1200 kbps.)
To convert from kilobytes per second to megabytes per second, divide the number of kilobytes by 1024.
Edit User Account
Login to your account.
Click on Profile followed by Edit User Info.
Edit information then click on Save. (You will not be able to change your username.)
The email address on the account will be used for communications between the User and CoVideo as well as for the Reply, Email Me and Viewer Notification functions within the video email system.
Important Note: To insure the best results be sure to have the most up-to-date email address on file.
Manage Email Icon
Login to your account.
Click on Graphics followed by Email Icon. Any custom icons will be displayed on this page.
Click on Upload Email Icon to add a new icon. Name it and Browse to find the file on your computer. Then click on Save to add it to your list of icons. The required size for an email icon is 400 X 200 pixels in size.
Click on Edit Name next to the icon to change the name. The Default button next to the icon indicates the icon will be used for all video emails sent unless a different icon is manually selected when sending a video email.
Add Social Links
Login to your account.
Click on Graphics followed by Links and then Social Links.
Select one of the 12 links listed and type or copy/paste the URL to that website in the space next to the icon. (Example: www.twitter.com/covideosystems)
Repeat this process for each link you wish to add.
When finished, click on Save at the bottom of the page.
Use the process above to add or update social links at any time.
To remove a social link, delete the text next to the appropriate icon and click on Save at the bottom of the page.
Manage Footers
Video Email Footers normally include items such as: company mailing address, terms of service, privacy policy and about us information.
Login to your account.
Click on Email followed by Footers/Scripts.
Select a footer to edit/delete or click on Add Footer to create a new footer.
Type in the footer name, text, choose font color and style then click on Submit Changes to save.
You can also assign a default footer. The selected footer will automatically display on each of your video emails.
Reminder: You can always manually select a different footer when sending a video email.
Mac users have access to all three of our core products: Video Email, Live Conference and Live Presentation, with no downloading required. In fact, the web version of Video Email was originally designed expressly for Mac users, while the desktop version is PC oriented.
To create video emails, login to your account at www.covideo.com and click on Video Email. If it is your first time using the product check your video/audio settings before recording. To do this, click on Settings then Change Camera Settings. Click on the camera icon to make sure the correct webcam is selected (on a Mac, it’s most likely USB Video). To check your audio, click on the microphone icon and select the correct microphone. To test your microphone while on that screen simply speak several lines. The green input bar will go up and down as you talk, if it is a working microphone. Adjust your recording volume by moving the slider to a desired position.
To record your video, click on Start Recording and begin your message. You can record up to 10 minutes per video. When finished, click on Stop Recording. You may now preview, save or email the video. If you choose the email option, click on Email Video and fill out the necessary information (make sure the pop-up blocker allows the Email Video page to display) and click on Send Email. Once you have emailed the video, it will automatically be saved in your Video Library.
Be sure to have the latest version of Adobe Flash installed on your Mac (CLICK HERE to install)
If you are having issues with the audio cutting in and out on your Mac while recording a video email or while in the Live Conference or Live Presentation, follow the steps below to solve the issue:
- Click on System Preferences
- Click on Sound
- Click on Input, choose a device for sound input, adjust the settings for the selected device all the way to the right and make sure that the box for “Use ambient noise reduction” is unchecked.
- Follow the instructions from above to adjust your camera/mic settings.
To learn about using our Live Conference CLICK HERE or to learn about our Live Presentation CLICK HERE
If you have a list of contacts, you can upload them directly into your CoVideo account. Depending on what package you have purchased, you can either upload up to 1000 or 5000 contacts into your account. We accept your contact’s first name, last name and the email address. Please have your list of contacts in an Excel spreadsheet and saved as .csv (comma delimited) format before uploading your list.
To save your list as .csv file:
- In Excel, go to the Office Button and click on Save As
- Under the File Name, type in the name you would like to save it as
- Under Save As Type, select CSV (comma delimited)
- Click on Save
- Click on OK then click on YES when prompted
To import your contacts please follow the following steps:
- Login to your CoVideo account at www.covideo.com.
- Click on User Options followed by Import Contacts.
- Agree to our spam policy then click on Browse to select your Excel (.csv) file.
- If you would like to upload your list as a group, (allows you select that group and email the whole group at once when sending video emails or meeting invitations) type in your group name.
- Click on Send File.
- On the next page match up the fields such as First Name – First Name, Last Name – Last Name and Email Address – Email Address.
- Click on Submit.
CoVideo offers two options for creating video email: Web-based Recorder and Desktop Recorder. The Web-Based Recorder can be accessed from any computer with an Internet Connection and a webcam, while the Desktop Recorder is our downloaded version that puts seven features right at your finger tips.
The Desktop Recorder is available for download to Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The downloads option can be found by logging in to your account at www.covideo.com. Click on the Downloads tab and select Video Email.
Here is a list of features/options available in the Desktop Recorder:
Administration – edit your user information
Videos – access your library to view, email, rename or delete your videos, see viewers or move to a different folder
Contacts – add, edit and remove contacts or manage groups.
Scripts – add or edit scripts to read during your video recording
Upload a Video – allows you to upload a .wmv file and keep it in the same format (you can upload the following video file formats from our website: ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, SWF, TS, VOB, WMV and we will convert them to .flv)
Insert Media – lets you select and insert videos (.wmv format) or images into your video email recording.
Camera Settings – check your camera and audio settings.
To check what operating system you have, click on your Start Menu, go over to My Computer or Computer and right-click on it then select Properties. The next page will provide basic information about your computer.
CLICK HERE for instructions on how to download on XP.
CLICK HERE for instructions on how to download on Vista and Windows 7.
When you visit a website they store a small file – a cookie – on your drive. These files actually improve your browsing experience by saving information you provide for your return visit. This is how credit card and address information auto-populate in the shopping carts of sites you visit regularly. Websites often customize what you view on their pages by recalling your preference history contained in cookie files. Cookies are also used for authentication and session tracking.
While there are benefits to cookies, privacy issues have been raised. Some folks are uncomfortable having their web movements tracked and choose to disable the cookie option. Just remember, doing so limits the websites you can access. If you wish to limit cookie tracking while retaining browsing ease, find the sites best suited to your needs and be selective about signing in.
Over time a lengthening cookie list can impact your computer’s performance. If your computer is running slow try deleting cookies as a first step in the diagnostic process. The best way to delete cookies on your PC is to go to your Start Menu > Control Panel > Internet Options. In the second row under Browsing History you will see a Delete option. Click on it then on the next window delete Temporary Internet Files and Cookies.
Here are the steps to delete cookies in four of the most popular browsers:
Mozilla FireFox:
Open FireFox > Tools > Options > Show Cookies > Remove All Cookies
Internet Explorer:
Open IE > Tools > Delete Browsing History
Safari:
Open Safari > Edit > Preferences > Security > Show Cookies > Remove All > Yes > Done
Google Chrome:
Open Google Chrome > Tools > Options > Under the Hood > Delete Browsing Data
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Jamie Bidwell is a team member at www.covideo.com. Covideo provides video email software that helps companies build relationships quickly and reinforce their brands more effectively with easy-to-make video emails that truly communicate. jamie@covideo.com.
Our email configuration option gives you the capability to configure your own email address with our system. When you sign up for CoVideo an email account is created in order for you to be able to send video emails. Your generic CoVideo email address is yourusername@vidmails.net
Now, with the email configuration feature your contacts can receive emails from the email address they are used to receiving from.
Here are the steps to configure your own email address:
- Login to your account at www.covideo.com.
- Click on Email.
- Click Email Configuration.
- Select an email provider from the dropdown menu. (*If your provider is not shown select Other and skip to #7.)
- Enter your email address and password.
- Click on Test and Save Changes.
- (*For those whose provider was not in the dropdown list.) All the fields in Step 2 will be empty. Enter your email address, password, SMTP server for outgoing mail, port number, SSL and TLS status. Then click on Test and Save Changes
The system will check your settings and if everything is correct, you will receive an email informing you that your CoVideo account has been reconfigured.
We have recently added an enhancement to our video library. You can now download videos onto your computer that were recorded using our web-based recorder, located in your back office.
To download a video, just simply click on the D/L option in your video library and select the location on your computer that you would like to save the video to. Videos recorded using the web-based recorder are in flash (.flv) file format.
*Please note: When downloading a video that has been recorded using our desktop recorder, you have to right-click on D/L and select “Save Link As” or “Save Target As” depending on what browser you are using. You will only see one of the options available.
CoVideo has developed an add-on that embeds our video email product directly into Microsoft Outlook for seamless integration. You can record videos, video reply to emails and manage your video library directly from Outlook. And best of all your video emails are sent to your Outlook contacts saving time and simplifying the process. You still have access to your templates and email icon(s) and get the tracking feature to see who has viewed your video emails, how many times and the last time they viewed it.
CoVideo customers can find more information and download CoVideo Outlook by accessing their account at www.covideo.com followed by Beta Products.
Click here for a quick overview of CoVideo Outlook!
Please Note: Video Outlook only works with Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007.
Cheers,
Marinko
We track questions that come into Customer Support and found five that are asked more frequently than others. We decided to make a video answering all five questions at one time. From downloads and recorder access to importing contacts and audio settings we have the information you have been asking for. Additional resources are available by logging in to your CoVideo account, selecting Support and Clicking on Knowledge Base. Enjoy the video!
With CoVideo’s latest upgrade you can now upload a broad range of file types. You can upload the following video file formats: ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, SWF, TS, VOB and WMV. Maximum file size is 500 MB per upload.
To upload your video, login to your account at www.covideo.com and click on Video Library followed by Upload Video. Click on Browse to find and select a video, name the file and click on Upload Video. Once the video is successfully uploaded it will be stored in your Video Library.
